Warne Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount, by Thomas Christianson

The Warne Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount allows most common reflex sights to be mounted to the ventilated rib of most popular shotgun types.

The mount is solidly made, and held up well during my testing. It cost $61.99 from warnescopemounts.com at the time of this writing.

If you have a shotgun with a ventilated rib and would like to mount a reflex sight on it, the Warne mount could be a good solution.

Background

Almost 25 years ago now, my family and I moved back to the United States after a decade of missionary service overseas. We missed many things about our host country after our return. But we were also able to enjoy many things in the United States that had not been available to us overseas. Two of the things that I enjoy in the United States that I had not been able to enjoy while overseas are owning firearms and hunting.

At the time when we returned to the United States, my uncle and aunt lived in the woods on the edge of a state game area. They were willing for my brother-in-law and I to hunt on their land during deer season. I happily retrieved my Winchester 1400 from my Dad’s gun cabinet, bought a deer license and some slugs, and went hunting.

Not long after sunrise one day near the beginning of the season, a good-sized doe came from my right and walked by about 35 to 40 yards away. I had a doe permit, so I shouldered the shotgun, aimed for the doe, and pulled the trigger. The doe jumped about 6 feet into the air, and then began to run. I waited a few minutes to give her time to lie down and bleed out. Then I went over to the spot where the doe had been walking when I fired. I found some droplets of blood on the new-fallen snow, but not the large quantities that I was expecting.

I followed the doe’s trail. After about 100 yards or so she stopped bleeding. After about a mile or so, I lost her trail in the tracks of a dispersing herd.

I couldn’t figure out how I had missed such an easy shot. So I set up a target, paced off about 20 yards or so, and fired at the center of the target. My slug struck about 18 inches to the left of the point of aim. I had missed the doe because my gun was not properly zeroed. That was a silly mistake on my part.

Unfortunately, the Winchester did not have adjustable sights, and I did not want to need to depend on Kentucky windage for the necessary adjustments. I eventually sold the shotgun, and bought a Hastings Paradox rifled slug barrel for my Dad’s Browning A5 Magnum. The new barrel works great, but it was not cheap, and I miss my Winchester.

I recently ran across the Warne Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount. It provides the option of adding an adjustable reflex sight to a shotgun with a ventilated rib. It sounded like it would have provided a good option for zeroing my Winchester 1400. I decided to give it a try. I contacted Warne to request a sample for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. About a week later FedEx delivered a padded envelope from Warne Scope Mounts, 9500 SW Tualatin Rd., Tualatin, OR 97062.

First Impressions

The mount arrived in a clamshell package with an appropriately sized T-15 wrench for installation. The inside of the label included a clear and well-illustrated set of installation directions. It was a pleasure to note on the packaging that the mount is made in the U.S.A.. Benelli agreed to loan me a shotgun as a test platform for the mount, and I purchased a modestly priced generic reflex sight.

Installation

I removed the mount from its package, loosened the T-15 screws enough to allow the mount to fit over the vent rib with the arrow facing toward the muzzle, and positioned the mount on the rib halfway between the two rib supports closest to the receiver.

I then centered the arrow on the rib and tightened the center screws finger tight. Next I tightened the remaining screws in a X pattern until they were also finger-tight and verified that the arrow was still aligned with the center of the rib.

At that point I was supposed to torque the screws to 18 pounds maximum beginning with the center screws and then the others in an X pattern. Since I do not have a torque wrench, I needed to estimate the torque instead. With that in mind, does anyone know of an appropriately sized torque wrench set that is not made in mainland China?

The instructions warn against using thread-locker compound, so I did not utilize any.

At that point, things started to get complicated. I revisited the Warne website to review some specifications and noticed an asterisk at the bottom of the page next to the words, “Does not fit Benelli 20 gauge rib.” The gun that I borrowed from Benelli was a Nova Pump Shotgun in 20 Gauge. I had requested a 20 gauge because I have found shooting 12 gauge slugs from a bench rest position to be hard on the shoulder. Out of all the dozens and dozens of makes of shotguns in various gauges, I had somehow chosen the one combination that would not work with the mount.

I was a bit perplexed, because I had just installed the mount on a Benelli 20 gauge rib, and it seemed to fit fine. I removed the mount, and then installed it on a Browning A5 Magnum rib by way of comparison. Then I could see the difference. The mount clamped under the rib of the Browning, but only against the sides of the thicker rib of the Benelli. If the screws began to work themselves loose, the mount would rattle on the rib of the Browning, but might simply fall off the rib of the Benelli. No one wants to lose an expensive reflex sight in thick brush because the screws of the mount have worked loose. Warne was wise to recognize this risk, and warn against it.

I determined, however, that the mount attached firmly enough to the Benelli for short-term testing if not for long-term use. So I determined to continue to use the Benelli as my test platform.

The generic reflex sight that I had purchased presented a second complication. It has a Docter base which is one of many popular bases compatible with the Warne mount. But the generic sight came without the right sized screws for attaching it to the mount. I could not find an easy way of making sure that I was ordering the correct-sized screws online. I finally went to a local hardware store with a couple of screws saying, “I need a screw threaded like this one, but the same length as this other one.” The helpful staff were able to provide me with an appropriately sized pair of screws.

So I attached the sight to the mount, and the mount to the shotgun. Then I made my way to the improvised range behind the pole barn for some testing.

Testing

It was a sunny day in mid-May. The temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a hint of a breeze from the west. I set up some targets in front of the backstop, set up a table 25 yards away, and placed a lead sled on the table. A steadily growing humming sound heralded a ferocious attack by a large squadron of local mosquitoes. I retreated to the house, where I changed from shorts into long pants and socks, put on a broad-brimmed hat, pulled a bug jacket over my upper body, and put on a pair of gloves. I then returned to the range.

I chambered a single Winchester SuperX 2-3/4 inch 3/4 ounce slug and fired it. The slug hit close enough to the point of aim that I loaded 2 more to produce a 3 shot group without adjusting the reflex sight. The group was close enough to the point of aim that I loaded and fired a number of additional 3-shot groups.

The results were surprisingly anticlimactic. The groups were centered around the point of aim with no need to adjust the sight. My first group was 3.9 inches in size. As I became more used to the gun and the sight, the groups consistently shrunk, until my final group was 1.9 inches in size. Those results were better than I was expecting from a smooth bore barrel.

I did some patterning with the shotgun as well. The reflex sight did an excellent job of centering the pattern in the right place.

Conclusions

The Warne Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount does an excellent job of attaching a reflex sight to the ventilated rib of most common shotguns. It is simple, durable, and effective. If you want a way to throw slugs more accurately or want the quicker acquisition afforded by a red dot, the Warne mount may be an excellent choice for you.

Disclaimers

Warne provided me with a sample of their Model 6108M Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount for testing and evaluation. Benelli loaned me a sample of their Nova Pump Shotgun in 20 Gauge. I tried not to let the kindness of these vendors interfere with my objectivity, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.